Governors of Sonora, Mexico; New Mexico and Arizona today agreed to jointly meet the growing demand for natural gas in Asia.

The supply will be delivered from New Mexico through pipelines and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities to be developed in the Port of Guaymas, Sonora, as the gas will be sent to Asia by container ships.

For that end, Arizona Gov. Doug, Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Sonora, Mexico Gov. Claudia Pavlovich signed a four-year interstate agreement today at the Arizona State Capitol.

The agreement commits to continued collaboration and economic development between the three centered on facilitating “continued economic development” in New Mexico’s clean-burning natural gas.

“In Arizona, we know how to collaborate to achieve shared goals,” Ducey said in a statement.

“I’m proud to come together with our neighbors in New Mexico and Sonora to support growing international energy demands through this interstate partnership that benefits our entire region.”

Arizona facilities pipe the natural gas from New Mexico to Sonora, where it is then shipped to Asian nations, which are leading importers of liquefied gas.

In front of her counterparts, Governor Pavlovich highlighted the excellent relationship that exists between these three states of two different countries and that with this signature, is now a benchmark for the promotion of local development with global impact.

“Joint work continues to transform our potential into productive, competitive, profitable realities with high social and economic impact,” Pavlovich said in the statement.

Martinez said, “We have worked closely with our partners in Arizona, Sonora, and Asia to open new markets for New Mexico’s natural gas producers and this agreement further promotes economic growth for our state and the region.”

Sonora’s ports are far closer to Asia than U.S. ports in the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Shipping gas from the Pacific coast also would not require a trip through the Panama Canal.

Both Arizona and Sonora have existing pipeline networks that could be used to help transport the fuel.